The Anabaptist Network

Directed by Fatih Akin, to be released in North America in May

Living in Germany in the early 90’s, I heard countless complaints about the growing Turkish population in that country. Invited to help rebuild Germany after the war, Turks have now been living in Germany for generations, in the midst of a people who have a very set way of doing things. This has resulted in a lot of tension and even violence. People have not treated each other as they should. With Turkey on the verge of joining the European Union, which is uniting a continent that feels completely different than it did twenty years ago, will people learn to live with each other in a new way in the 21st century?

Vic Thiessen, March 2008

Woody Allen has always been one of the world’s most unique filmmakers. While his best work may be behind him, Allen continues to make films that inspire us to think deeply about what drives us and our society. In two of my favourite Allen films, Crimes and Misdemeanors and Match Point, Allen explores the theme of violence and why it is so easy for some people to kill others. His view seems to be that this can only happen in a world without a God. Allen continues this theme in his most recnt film, Cassandra’s Dream, but I detected something new in his pessimistic view.

Vic Thiessen, May, 2008

“Are you happy in your life?” the protagonist in Mike Leigh’s latest film, Happy-Go-Lucky, asks her new friend. The response: “That’s a big question!”

Following an initial day conference together in April 2007, the Anabaptist Network and Cell UK are co-sponsoring another day on preaching - and alternatives to preaching.

Stuart Murray Williams and Laurence Singlehurst are the main speakers, but others will also be involved.

by Dave Bookless published by IVP (2008)
Reviewed by Jo Rathbone

Dave’s book is a clearly-written introduction (to those particularly from an evangelical background) as to why we should be caring for God’s creation. Perhaps the best paragraphs are in the introduction where he says that this is not an issue simply because we have to address climate change, but because climate change is a symptom of a deep malaise in our society which is bad for the planet. We have to root out a much more deeply embedded issue to do with the nature of our being, and our attitude to God’s creation.

Reviewed by Vic Thiessen

The year is 2027. The premise is fascinating, if rather farfetched: One fine day, in 2009, women stopped being able to conceive (whether the result of infertility in men or women is not stated), leaving the planet truly in its last days. The world is disintegrating, crime and anarchy are rampant, and the UK government (advertised as the last functioning government in the world) obviously thinks the “short-term” solution lies in keeping its borders closed and hunting down illegal immigrants. But what if one of those immigrants was pregnant?

Bryan Stone
Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2007

This book attempts to fill a significant gap, offering a theological framework for the practice of evangelism. Few books on the practice of evangelism have theological foundations and few theologians write about the practice of theology, so this study by Bryan Stone is a welcome contribution. Stone is the Professor of Evangelism at the Boston University School of Theology and writes primarily with the North American context in mind, but most of what he writes transfers well into the European scene.

Richard Sudworth
Bletchley: Scripture Union, 2007

Richard Sudworth, who is based in Birmingham but was previously in North Africa, is a consultant with the organisation ‘Faith to Faith’. Our partners, Urban Expression, have appreciated his input into the Crucible course each year, as he reflects with students on the implications for urban mission of living in a multi-cultural and multi-faith society.